Mutated Ninja
by N101012
Summary: 40 children. One operation. Number 14 "Katsumi" is one of the forty kids that were taken to the "Ultimate Ninja" operation. Katsumi is the last one left, she's the only survivor. So what happens when she is abandoned by Orochimaru? I do not own Naruto plotline or characters! I only own Katsumi!
1. Chapter 1

Sometimes, consciousness can be something I live in every day. Sometimes, only for tests by Orochimaru-sama, the snake man. Freedom is probably one of the mysteries of life I will never understand. I mean, who is free? What is freedom any ways? Am I free?

The green tonic water of my tank is much more visible to me than ever as my eyes open. I see the glass opening in front of me with a silhouette of two men. As my eyes focus, I see Orochimaru-sama. He has black silky hair and pale skin. He's monitoring us again. He's looking at me, calculating my ability to survive. I don't know why but that his gaze always repulsed me. Maybe because he tests on us daily, maybe because he's using us to make a body that he'll house in one day, but I despise it.

I look around and my eyes widen in disbelief. Last time I was awake, there were forty kids like me in the same glass containers with green tonic water. Now they're all…

"Kabuto, prepare to leave." says Orochimaru to Kabuto beside him. I hate his voice. His voice is a constant reminder that he is the only reason he hasn't drained the water or cut the ropes that gets nutrients into our bodies. Kabuto looks up at him disbelief evident even through his glasses. Leave?

"But my Lord this one is-" Kabuto starts.

"No. This one won't survive. Her cells aren't taking in the Super Ninja formula much less the water here. She'll die in four days at best. Let's go." interrupts Orochimaru and turns around to leave, Kabuto quickly following.

Orochimaru has been performing these "tests" on us to do something. I don't know specifically what, but he's always been saying that the "survivor is the Ultimate Ninja". I have no clue what he meant by Ultimate ninja but maybe it's some overpowered ninja with more than one capability.

"Besides, ANBU are suspecting us here. Better safe than with a corpse." chuckles Orochimaru. A corpse?

Does he mean me?!

Does he want to destroy me on the spot?!

"That is quite true, my Lord." replies Kabuto, devilish smirk playing on his face. Orochimaru locks the door and leaves. For good.

I'm… Going to die…

I close my eyes and feel vibrations in the water. My eyes open slightly to see something horrifying happening to the watery tonic that helps me live.

The water is flowing out. I pound on the glass. Nothing. I can't get out! The water is my life and its draining out of some tube in the wall.

Looks like it's over…

NO!

I pound on the glass with my fists. NEVER! I WON'T QUIT! I'm staying strong! I'm not going to depend on a snake to survive!

I pound on the glass with more vigor as the water is at eye level. I kick the glass.

BANG!

The glass shatters over the floor. The liquid spills over and I feel a quiet rip sound at my back. I fall on my hands and knees. There's a wire connecting to some tubes with a liquid with the label "Nutrients". Huh. So I was fed like that. Well, not any more.

I see a small shard of the glass that encased me. It says:

"Katsumi

Experiment #14

Female, eleven years old."

So my name is… Katsumi (Victorious beauty). I like it! And I'm eleven years old. Looks like I'm a long term survivor of these tests. So I'm number 14. Lucky number 14. Because I'm the last one and only survivor of Orochimaru's tests.

I'm getting outta here!

I look around, looking for clothes that don't looks like I'm a beggar. I see a white t shirt and a pair of pants. Kabuto's spare ninja shoes are nearby. Hopefully they're my size. I put the stuff on. Not bad, but I'll get something else to wear somewhere else.

A little brown satchel is sitting on the table, empty. I think I'll need a few of Orochimaru's ninjutsu scrolls. I put it on and turn to the shelves.

I walk over to the shelves of scrolls. All kinds of scrolls sit there about genjutsu, taijutsu forbidden jutsu and ninjutsu. Kabuto taught all of us to read and write as tests on our brain capacity, whatever the hell that is. I pick up a random few. Hopefully they'll be useful to me somehow. I stuff them into the satchel and look around for the exit.

I see exploding tags lying on the table beside what used to be my lifeline box with water. I stuff them into my satchel as well. It might stave off pursuers. I pick up all the tags. I pick up documents labelled "Secret". It could be used as bait if I'm caught. My freedom vs the documents. I'm sure Orochimaru is wanted by at least some people. Not a lot I think.

I pick up the kunai and shuriken around the room. Perfect. I take them all and stuff them down the satchel. Good. Self defense is mandatory for survival alone.

A large rock boulder is covering the entrance. I put exploding tags by it and connect it to a rope. Once I tug it, the boulder will shatter. I hide behind one of the capsules. I'm sorry minna.

I tug and time stops…

BA BAM!

Rocks fly past the capsule as I sit tightly by the capsule, praying I'll survive. The rocks stop flying and silence reigns over the territory.

I look around, opening my eyes slowly.

There's light here…

Real light…

I look from behind the capsule carefully. Light floods the room from the outside. I see trees. Real trees like the ones I saw in photos Kabuto showed me to test my memory abilities.

There's real blue sky outside. Just behind that arch is a world of freedom. Freedom, something I have never known in my life. Something I've always dreamed about my entire life inside that capsule, inside that green tonic water.

I get up, not afraid. I feel a giddy feeling fill my insides. I smile wide. I'll finally be free. I won't need to be afraid anymore.

I start to walk towards the light and the freedom but I stop. There were kids like me here. They're all gone. They've all died. All because of Orochimaru.

I need to put a monument here.

In about a half hour I prayed beside another huge boulder. Looks like one of the scrolls was actually useful in my satchel. I didn't check out what the others had but this one was pretty useful for the job.

I sit down in front of the vase of little white flowers and dandelions. A small stone by the entrance to the now-locked-and-buried hideout stands. I wrote with one of the kunai I stole on the stone. It's not the best monument for dead kids but I'd rather have it small and less noticeable so nobody destroys it later on. It says:

"To the children Orochimaru the snake tested on and died.

Children with unknown families.

Akira Hiroto

Kira Gamitama

Rina Sakamoto

Akiro Mamato

Eiki Dashito

Ibiki Ramitama

And 34 others who died being tested on.

God bless you

Rest in Peace in the Grounds of Heaven"

I looked at all the capsules and saw some of their names. Might as well make a proper memorial and a proper farewell.

I clasp my hands and close my eyes. I've never learned how to make good prayers. I hope this'll do well. At least, decently. I hope God will understand that I've never prayed in my entire life. I've been "baptised" but after that, nothing related to God and the afterlife.

"I'm sorry minna, that it took me so long to break out, to finally see the daylight and blue skies and real trees. I've never really knew all of you but I know that you were all good people who never harmed others. I'll make Orochimaru pay for every life he stole from us. I pray you will be in peace. And I promise that I'll stop this madness and prevent this from ever happening again. I won't let anybody suffer in the same way as all of you did. Amen." I murmur. I slowly open my eyes and stand up.

I will keep this promise. I will live to stop this madness called "human tests".

Even if it costs me my life.

I look towards the path. To a new future. To a new place. To my new life. The gentle breeze drifts past me, urging me to go forward. To move on from this horrible chapter of my life. The breeze gently pulls my light blue hair towards the dirt path, towards my new future.

I begin to walk forward, smile stretching across my face. I'm going straight ahead. Towards a new life with no tests, no fear and no capsules. I'll be free, not just for myself but for all the other forty kids.

I'll live on, for all of you, minna. And you'll all live on inside me.


	2. Chapter 2

I feel my eyes open to again see the tops of the trees and the clear blue sky. It's been about a year since I've earned my freedom. I've been travelling around the lands. Stealing or fighting to survive.

Sometimes friends from different clans let me live with them. And I learn their jutsu. Some of the samurai taught me some sword fighting techniques. They even gave me the Yoru no ken, the sword of night. Now I fight down S Rank criminals with the sword. They even gave me gold gauntlets to not injure myself.

A man with the name of Hiruko who was a merchant gave the dark release kekkei genkai through the mark he gave me on my right hand. I can now use the jutsu with that too. It feels cool. But I try to avoid using it if I can.

Still, some of the ANBU that tried to capture me and got away call me (with others when they realize it's me) "Dark Sword Katsumi". It's way cool, but now I have to wear a cloak because otherwise, they'll want me for interrogation. Plus, I'm in the bingo book so I have to be on my guard at all times. There is no way I'll die before I stop the tests on humans. I'm too stubborn to do that.

I walk into the village market. I'm around the borders of the Land of Fire. And I'd like to not go there. I mean, they'll want me in their village and the last thing I need is to be found out. Because then, the interrogations will start and they'll try to get inside my head.

_No thanks. I'd rather keep my past to myself._

There's a butcher! An old man with a rope around his forehead is cutting up the meat. I walk over to him, cloak hiding my face.

"Hello, sir. Lovely weather today." I smile.

"You're a little tramp! Get out." he growls. Wow. _So much with manners._

"But why can't I eat? My little brothers and sisters are starving-" I start. The butcher tries to hit me with a wooden pole. I block it with my right forearm.

"That mark…" pales the butcher. Oh shit. He just saw the mark. The mark of the dark release kekkei genkai. I slowly move away.

"What mark? Is it her?" asks a man with the Kiri headband. He is followed up by another 2. A full team. That means they'll be super in sync, if they're dispatched from a ninja village.

"Get her! It's Dark Sword Katsumi!" he yells. They dash at me, managing to cut the cloak. I pull it off, to reveal my normal clothing and things. My light blue scarf with the gold trim sways in the wind.

I'm out numbered. By the looks of it, these guys are obviously Chunin or Jounin ranked. Outranked.

"Sorry for disturbing you, but I gotta run!" I smile and run as fast as my legs can carry me. I take a sack of tomatoes from a vendor as I run. Time for some fun!

I run into the forest and hear the men yelling:

"Come back here, thief!" Oh, they won't want me back after this one.

"Here catch!" I yell and throw three tomatoes behind me.

Toshiro POV

I catch the tomatoes the little squirt gave me. She's quite… nice for the gift. I bite in and see an exploding tag on it.

Kitsune POV

BANG! BANG! BANG!

OH lol! They fell for the old school trick! I start laughing as I burst through the bushes. I fall into a stream. Well, that was unexpected. Ah well. Let's hope it takes me farther away from here.

I gasp as I hit one of the rocks. That's going to leave a mark… I'M GOING THROUGH RAPIDS! SHIIIT! I try to keep myself aloft and I seem to spin without control. I hit different rocks repeatedly. Dammit! Wish there was a steering wheel here or something like on a bike.

I pass through the rapids and look around. There's some sort of noise around here, like the sound of rushing water. I see where I'm going.

Well this is amazing...

I'm in some deep shit.

A waterfall is about 6 meters away and I'm going _directly at it_.

I try to stroke myself away, but I'm just not strong enough against the current. I close my eyes, preparing for the worst.

I feel someone grab me by my waist and hoist me out of the water.

"Hey, you okay?" asks a voice. I slowly open my eyes. A _boy_ with a hoodie and red triangles on his face looks up at me, carrying me _bridal style_. I blush madly as he looks at me worriedly.

"U-uh y-y-yeah." I murmur.

"Man, you stutter even worse than Hinata when she's around Naruto and believe me, that's something." smirks the boy

"SHADDAP!" I yell. He slowly puts me down seated. I begin to twist my scarf. That scarf was something Mifune, general of the Land of Iron, gave to me before I left. He considered me like his granddaughter and I really liked that old man. I don't want to ruin that scarf, ever.

A bark breaks me from my thoughts. A little white puppy with brown ears barks at me. I pick him up and cuddle him. He's adorable.

"That's Akamaru, my dog and my name is Kiba Inuzuka. Uh, what's your name?" he asks, awkwardly. I put the dog down. Akamaru stands in front of me, barks once and begins to pant.

"My name is Katsumi." I reply.

"That's a nice name, victorious beauty." smiles Kiba. That's my name's meaning. I look away, blushing but proudly hiding anything on my face.

I suddenly feel a sharp pain in my stomach. Dang. Looks like the hits to those rocks in the rapids have taken their toll on me. I cough up blood. Blood drips from my lips.

A small puddle of my own blood appears on the grass. Akamaru looks worried in a way.

"Katsumi! H-hey are you okay?!" he cries out. I fall to the ground, clenching my teeth to not scream in pain. He picks me up and hauls me onto his back, him holding my legs.

"Don't worry! I'll get you to the hospital!" he assures me. I nod and he begins to jump quickly, carrying me to a hospital of some sort.

"I'm… sorry… Kiba." I whisper, feeling consciousness slip away.

Kiba POV

She slumps in my arms, unconscious. I have no clue why I'm so hyped about her health and her coughing up blood. But she feels so… delicate… So warm and nice. I can't explain it! Darn! But… she feels like a lot to me.

I see the village gates. I pass through them. Koketsu looks up and sees me rushing into the village.

"H-Hey wait!" yells Koketsu.

"Can't talk! Urgent injury!" I yell back at them. That gets their attention but I'm already out of sight.

I crash through the hospital doors and yells, panting with Akamaru:

"Girl… found coughing up blood!" I yell to the nurse. She gasps and takes Kitsune away.

"Kiba Inuzuka, you can leave now. We'll need to do an operation, then she'll stay for the night here in room 104." she informs me. I nod. The nurse begins to take Katsumi away but she gives me one last look.

That look was happy and grateful. It's like a silent 'thank you' but that stopped my heart cold. She slumps fainting again but I catch her.

"I'll take her to her room. Get the doctor." I murmur as I haul her to the room. I gently lay her on the operation table as the doctor walks in.

"Young man, before I commence the operation, I'll need to speak with you about this patient." he asks. The doctor has huge thick glasses and a few graying hairs in this black hair.

He leads me out of the room. He gives me a wary look, almost like he doesn't trust me.

"Where did you find this girl?" he asks me.

"Why do you need to know?" I ask the doctor.

"I have the records of all the people in Konoha. So I know what we used on the person and their medical history. I have memorized all the people who were sick or came here in the past 3 years. This girl isn't in any of the files or in my memory. Might I remind you that the Konoha leaders could have used me for a spy because of my rare memory." he explains. Oh god. Should I tell him that I found her in the water? I have a bad feeling about this.

"She… I found her outside of Konoha, drowning. I saved her and she began to cough up blood." I reply, conserving the details of any conversation we had.

"What is her name?"

"I don't know." I lie. But he sees right through me.

"If you don't say the truth, I'll have to report to the Hokage that we have found a spy along our borders." he threatens. I pale.

"No! Don't you dare hurt her!" I yell. He wouldn't dare. _I won't let him. He'll have to go across my dead body if he wants to do that much!_

"Fine, then just tell me her name. But I'll need to report the child to the Hokage. It's for security measures, Kiba." he says. I gulp, in thought

"Fine. But if you hurt her, I'll get her out of here." I snarl. He nods and leaves to start the operation.

_I hope you'll be safe..._

_Katsumi._


	3. Chapter 3

I feel my eyes burst open as someone knocks on the door. A headache throbs in my head but I manage to croak:

"Come in."

An old man with withered skin and a white official suit walks in. THE HOKAGE?! When did I end up in Konoha?! Jounin flood the hospital room, looking at me very warily. _Did they see my right hand?!_

The events of yesterday flood onto me. Kiba… Where's Kiba and Akamaru?

"Hello, Katsumi, I presume?" he asks.

"What do you want?" I ask, warily. This isn't good at all.

"Do you want some tea?" he asks.

"Hokage. Why are you here? Where am I?" I ask.

"Katsumi, you've been found coughing up blood by Kiba Inuzuka of Konoha's Inuzuka clan. He brought you here to be treated. And we found something rather interesting about you." says a man that I instantly recognize.

To survive, I need to remember the faces of the famous interrogators and ninja from various different villages. This guy is Ibiki Morino, top interrogator of Konoha's Interrogation Force.

Ibiki then shows me a photo of my right hand. And the mark of my right hand. _DID THEY TAKE PHOTOS OF ME AS I WAS UNCONSCIOUS?!_

"You people ARE SO FUCKING CREEPY! YOU TAKE PICTURES OF PEOPLE AS THEY'RE OOC?!" I yell. An awkward silence creeps into the room as the Jounin look flustered on the matter. One man speaks up, breaking the silence.

"You're Dark Sword Katsumi, aren't you?" questions a masked man with white gravity-defying hair. I look away, refusing to answer.

"Why do you bother asking? Only Dark Sword Katsumi has that mark. Well, then there is Hiruko, an S-Rank criminal, but he's a pale guy and not a sick girl." snaps Ibiki. I glare at him.

"So, what do you want?" I repeat.

"Your memories. We want to know what your game is, killing S Rank criminals for no reason." says Ibiki.

"Well, given I can't fight back after I fell in the rapids, go ahead. But it won't be pretty, I can assure you." I agree, slowly. The Hokage gives me an appreciative look. Ibiki makes handsigns.

"Memory Replication jutsu!"

Hokage POV

I close my eyes to begin the jutsu. I see a sleeping six year old child with a blue mop of hair on her head in a capsule of a watery green substance. Her small blue eyes slowly open. That's Katsumi! Why is she inside this capsule? What is going on with her?!

"Well, Kabuto, any estimates on the chances she will survive?" asks a hissing voice. _Orochimaru?! WHY IS HE HERE?!_

"You mean, the chances that the formula will enter her body and she will become the Ultimate ninja? About the same as the other forty children - 5%." another voice replies. Who is this?!

"Put her into a coma so we can do the tests. It will elevate the chances of survival and success, Kabuto." orders Orochimaru.

"Alright, but she will awaken at one point on her own. If she survives." notes Kabuto, poking some buttons. Katsumi murmurs:

"Why… Lord Orochi.. maru… ?"

Darkness invades the scene. Most likely, Katsumi is out of commission.

The look shifts to another scene.

Katsumi is nine years old. Her mop of blue hair is much bigger. Her blue eyes look directly in front of her to something before her capsule. Pity is in those eyes, wide.

She sees Orochimaru looking at another child in the capsule opposite her. It's a little girl with platinum blonde hair in a white lab coat. Her hair is floating upwards. The child's expression is pained. Her little childish arms are wrapped around her stomach. Bubbles of air float around her.

"This one isn't good. She has a stomach illness that could kill her in a few weeks at the latest. Save her the pain and finish Experiment #12 'Akira', Kabuto." orders Orochimaru. The boy clicks a button as Katsumi screams:

"NOO!"

Akira's eyes widen. After a moment, they turn glassy. Her body is slack and rises in the liquid. She doesn't respond to Katsumi's shouting.

_Orochimaru killed a child before Katsumi!_ This is atrocity beyond forgiving! How could he kill an innocent child like that?!

The child is taken out of her glass capsule and thrown out by Kabuto. Orochimaru looks at Katsumi, villainous smile playing on his face.

Katsumi's eyes water up. She's survived so much. Tests have been performed on her nonstop and she was strong enough to survive. She stands strong. She's still moving forward with a smile on her face and doesn't feel like stopping. She is much stronger than all the kids I've seen. The poor, poor child...

The scene shows small things like her sadness at the death, her child dreams that someone will save her from this nightmare.

The scene shifts to another, even more pained one.

Katsumi is screaming as Orochimaru injects her with substances into her back. Her blue mop of hair is quite long and she's thrashing wildly against her metallic restraints on her wrists and ankles.

A boy is beside her, huffing uneasily, his chest rising just barely. His mop of hair is just as messy and unorganized as Katsumi's. His eyes are a green color. He's covered in sweat and he's panting relentlessly.

"EIKI! Are you going to die?!" screams Katsumi, realizing he's turning pale, "HOLD ON EIKI!"

"... I'm fine…. But still… Tell ya what… Whatever happens… huff, fight on… Don't stop 'cause.. someone told you to stop dreaming…. You'll survive… You're my sister… you can and you will…" he murmurs. His right hand goes over her shoulder as he gently pats her. Katsumi, smiles, thinking he's okay.

"You'll be… strong… I know it…" he breathes and his face goes slack. His eyes close.

A moment passes and Katsumi hears the familiar "Good you're finished" from Orochimaru. She perks up and shakes him, thinking he fell asleep.

"Wake up Eiki-nii! We're done! We can go back to our cage now. You can heal now." she smiles, cheerfully. He doesn't respond. She shakes him more insistently. The boy pulls off her restraints and she climbs onto his gurney. She begins to shake even more.

Her eyes flood with tears as she realizes he won't open his eyes. That he isn't breathing anymore. That he's… _gone_. She screams:

"EIKI-NII!"

_Her own brother was killed before her very eyes._

She's left without a family.

Shorter memories begin to flow in her mind after this one hard, and sickeningly sad childhood memory.

A lab is shown, Orochimaru's face is shown repeatedly. His hissing words "Only the strongest is the ninja I want" repeat constantly throughout her memories. The green substance of her cage is shown quite often. The scene darkens. We're coming back to the present.

I open my eyes slowly. The jutsu they did knocked me out and it's coming undone. The people around me are shocked and sad. They didn't expect that kind of life, did they? Ah well. No secrets from them to hide. I bite down on my lower lip as I remember Akira, poor Akira who I have seen die.

_Akira, May you rest in peace._

Then I remember Eiki. _Eiki… Man, why'd you have to be sick that day?!_

He was sick with a mild cold but Orochimaru didn't care. He did the tests on him and result: he died just beside me, his icy arm on my shoulder.

I look out the window to hide the tears that threatened to flow as I remember Akira's dying expression in the capsule as Kabuto pressed the killing button that restricted her from any nutrients or oxygen.

I remember the dreaming expression on my brother's face as he died beside me on a gurney. Kabuto was the one who injected him with stuff. He probably knew about him being sick, given he was coughing all day. But he still went on with doing experiments anyways.

_Kabuto you killer…. I'll demolish you one day. Along with Orochimaru._

"Katsumi…" whispers a red eyed Jounin with brown hair.

"Well, looks like you all know that my past is closely knitted with the fates of 40 children and Orochimaru himself. You're not trusting me here." I assume.

"No. I will trust her, fully." says the man with the white hair. Everyone looks at him in surprise. Except for the Hokage. I look at him, eyes wide as a tear gently falls out of my right eye.

"Yes, I agree with you Kakashi. She doesn't seem like the kind who could hurt others. I'm sorry for your losses Katsumi." bows the Hokage. My eyes widen.

OH MY FLIPPING FLAP JACKS!  
The THIRD HOKAGE, also known as THE SUPREME SHINOBI, IS BOWING TO MY BUTT RIGHT HERE AND NOW!

Oh my flying bacon.

Looks like the other Jounin, staring at me and the Hokage are thinking the same thing, their jaws hanging low.

"Hokage-sama…." they whisper.

"Katsumi, I've seen your memories, along with the Jounin in this room. And I will admit clearly that you are much stronger than me. You've seen the death of friends happen before you. You are clearly the strongest out of all the ninja I have ever seen." comments the Hokage.

Did he just…

Did he just say I WAS STRONGER THAN HIM?!

HIM, THE SUPREME SHINOBI?!

I feel so badass!

"I would like for you to become a ninja of Konoha, Katsumi." says the Hokage, getting up and handing me a set of silver keys.

Oh my SLIPPING BANANAS!

HE'S BUYING AN APARTMENT FOR ME!

"Hokage-sama. You're-" says a man with a cigarette in his mouth. ARE YOU INSANE?! You're going to kill yourself with smoking! It ain't good Mr. Smoker!

"These are the keys to your apartment, Katsumi." he explains, "I'll assign a few ANBU to watch over you and make sure nothing happens, alright, Katsumi?" He wants to watch me. _Creepy stalker, much!_

Then again, I don't have any where to go for now. I'll just recuperate here and leave when I'll feel like it.

".. Alright, Hokage-sama. I'll stay here."


	4. Chapter 4

I wake up. Today is my first day at the Academy! Can't be late! I've gotta get there! I put on a pair of black shorts with white boots. I put on a magenta shirt and metal gauntlets with leathery material covering the palms of my hands. I put the sword on my belt. If we have any sword business in the Academy, I'll have my own sword to use.

I dash to the kitchen and eat cereal. Hate eating alone. Ah well! It's not like I have a roommate or anything. I'll ask the Hokage about that later.

I tie my short blue hair with a dark blue headband and put on my blue scarf. There's no way I'll letting go of this scarf. It's my most treasured gift. I lock the door firmly as I take my satchel and run to school. Yes, it's the same satchel I took from the snake man. And I washed it like 4 times once I found a river. I hate the fact that this once belonged to _him_ but I've got no money to buy anything better so I'll keep this trophy.

I dash to the Academy grounds, scarf flying wildly. I'm at the Academy and I see loads of people the same age as me. I've gotta go register, since I'm the new BAD-ASS child!

I see a man with a scar on his nose with a Leaf headband. Hopefully he's an Academy instructor.

"HEY! I'm the new kid, Katsumi! Do you know where my class is by chance?" I ask. I hear quiet whispers from the other girls.

"Oh, you're Katsumi, are you? I'm Iruka, your new teacher." he smiles.

"Okay, Iru-sensei!" I smile back.

"It's Iruka." he corrects. Nah, with the sensei suffix it's going to be too long and I'm way too lazy for this kind of stuff.

"Okay, Iru-sensei, when does the bell ring?" I ask.

"In ten minutes. Come with me, I'll get you to the classroom." he orders, gently. I nod and walk into the building, hearing the quiet murmurs of some of the girls. Ah well, their problem! I walk inside proudly. _I'm so awesome they noticed me in the first 60 seconds!_

We walk into a room. It's relatively big with loads of desks. Nobody's in here yet.

_RIING!_

The classroom starts filling up with students. A few particular people catch my eye: a raven haired emo, a blonde in an orange jumpsuit, a brown haired… large boy, a spiky black haired boy with dark eyes and a brown haired boy with a hooded sweater and a little white puppy. IT'S KIBA!

The class stares at me. Most of the girls stare at me with disdain. Whateves. Their problem. But the boys I've noticed amongst the students, stare at me, quite interested. I have the urge to yell out "Kiba! It's me!" but I'd rather not. First impressions leave lasting marks in people's minds.

"This is Katsumi, a new girl in Konoha. I hope that you can show her around and let her catch up to all of you." introduces Iruka. He motions for me to introduce myself. FINALLY!

"I'm Katsumi and I'm going to be the greatest ninja ever! And if you're gawking, you're gawking at the next strongest ninja to exist!" I yell. The room falls silent. Yeah, suck on that, SUCKERS!

"Yeah! And I'm going to be Hokage!" yells the blonde.

"Naruto, sit down!" roars Iru-sensei. Well, he's in for it. Whateves. Maybe me and Naruto can go do some pranks. He seems like the type.

Iru-sensei turns to me.

"You can go sit next to Sakura or next to Choiji and Shikamaru in the back." he states. I nod. The Pinkette by the empty chair glares at me when she notices the emo is looking at me, interested. Nah. She must be a fangirl or something. I go to the back, proudly and sit by the pineapple haired boy and the chubby boy.

"Now, let's begin strategy class." announces Iru-sensei. I groan. Hate doing schoolwork!

"Hey, I'm Shikamaru. This is Choiji." introduces Pineapple-head.

"I'm Katsumi." I smile. Iru-sensei starts explaining some shit that I don't give two flying fucks about. If I have to work strategy out, I'll do that in a battle, using my head and not writing it down.

"This is way too much effort." mutters Shikamaru. I couldn't agree more.

"Tell me about it." I agree, head on my desk. This is so fucking annoying. I check the clock and groan.

_Way to go Katsumi, you've signed yourself up to seven hours of torture._

After sleeping through medical class, I found out that the next class is shuriken class outside. I follow after Shikamaru.

"So, you people aren't good at shuriken?" I ask Choiji and Shika.

"Nah. It's too much work." says Shika, hands clasped behind his head.

"I'd rather eat chips." says Choiji, "It's less effort than this."

I nod in agreement. But Choiji seems like he puts a boatload of effort into the shuriken he throws. He's just missing every time.

Kiba runs up to me and stands to train at the log beside mine. Akamaru barks.

"Hey! Katsumi, right? Remember me?" asks Kiba, smiling.

"Of course I do. You dragged me to the hospital didn't you?" I smile and we prop fists.

"Wait. You went to the hospital?" asks Choiji.

"Well, yeah. I was a thief before I came here and I was caught. Total drag. Ended up in the river running away from my pursuers. And almost went down a waterfall." I explain. They're all surprised, except Kiba.

"Yeah, and I got her to the hospital 'cause she hit jagged rocks in the rapids." adds Kiba. I nod.

_RRRIING!_

Final break before school's over!

I dash out of the training area. Yeah, this will be AWESOME! Freedom! I'll go catch up to Shikamaru and talk or go race against Kiba.

A platinum blonde girl and a pinkette stand in front of me, smirking across their faces with a group of girls. Blocking my way home.

"Hey loser." says the blonde.

"Hey, team stalker." I smirk.

"It's Ino. And this is Sakura. Do you like Sasuke Uchiha?" asks the blonde.

"Why should I? He's an emo." I reply. I won't tell them that he stood out amongst the other students.

"Well, if you do, then please know that we're all there to kill you." one of them says ominously.

"Yeah, so can I pass through?" I ask, nonchalantly.

"Not until you scram out of Konoha." says Pinkette. So they're not going down without a fight, are they?

They rampage at me and I quickly block their punches and kicks. It's like I know this… It's like I've always known about all of this! It's so weird..

But I go with the flow and block in the same way my instincts tell me. The girls slowly move away. All of them are either too tired to fight, or have been punched in the arms enough times to understand it's futile.

"We'll get ya one day! Don't forget it!" they yell, running away.

"And I'll be waiting." I mutter under my breath.

Kiba runs up to me and grabs me by the shoulders.

"Wow, you ruled at kicking ass. How'd you do it!?" he asks. Naruto rushes up to me and soon, a lot of the guys begin to bombard me with questions.

"Hey! How about you join our game of ninja!" yells one boy in the crowd. I nod. The boys group up.

"Since you're new, choose your team members." explains a boy named Tatsuro, "You'll be playing the hiders. The hiders need to hide well enough so we don't find you in fifteen minutes. The catchers will have to catch you in fifteen minutes if we wanna win. We can hide anywhere in Konoha. You can also fight or run. But nothing worse than a hit to the jaw."

Some of the boys are large, strong, or fast and lean. But they just don't stand out. I want to have a team that really, I can feel that they're good. I don't know how or what this is but unless I feel in my gut that I'll win with this person, I won't choose him.

The first one to stand out is Shika.

"I choose Shikamaru." I answer quickly. The boys whistle. Shikamaru stands beside me and gives me a lazy smile.

"You've got a head on your shoulders, no doubt." he smiles. I nod.

"Good choice. I choose Ginma." says Tatsuro. Ginma, a large lanky boy with brown hair stands beside his team mate.

"I choose Choiji Akimichi." I choose. The boys laugh as Choiji walks out of the crowd, shyly.

"You chose fatso?! You'll so lose with him on your team." calls one of the guys.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP! I'm choosing my team." I yell. They all shut up.

"I choose Ren." smirks Tatsuro. A large muscled boy walks out and stands by Tatsuro.

"I choose Kiba." I choose. Kiba stands beside me, his puppy barking at me. I give him props.

"We'll so win." he smirks, confidently. I nod.

"So true." I whisper.

"I choose Takamaru." chooses Tatsuro.

"I choose Naruto Uzumaki." I call out. Naruto, sitting in the back, looks up in disbelief.

"S-seriously!? I'll be on your team?!" he asks. Looks like he was never chosen to play before.

"Yep. Now come on: we've got a team to beat." I smile. Naruto nods, determined to win. We form two separate teams and sit a little away from each other.

"So, I need all your good tricks and bad ones right now. I'll be able to come up with a strategy better if I know what you're good at."

"I'm good at making hiding stuff, believe it!" smiles Naruto.

"Shut up Naruto! You'll blow the plan." orders Shikamaru. Naruto shuts up.

"I'm good at strategy and I know most of the good cloud watching spots in Konoha." lists Shikamaru.

"I'm good at combo attacks with Akamaru and I've got a good speed." replies Kiba.

"I'm… not so good at anything. I tend to hide beside other people and give them away." mutters Choiji, embarrassed. It sucks I'll have to use the stolen paint so quickly but whatever.

I pull out from my pack a can of paint.

"Here. All of you take it. Good for camouflage." I order. Naruto quickly begins to cover his face in the brown paint.

"How'd you get that?" asks Shikamaru, inspecting the paint.

"Stole it from a village nearby. It was a major waste of energy but now it's worth it." I reply. He smiles, lazily. I explain the strategy to them. When we finish I yell:

"SO WHO'S READY TO BEAT 'EM?!" I yell, enthusiastically.

"YEAH!" the team yells, except Shika.

"Scatter!" says the opposing team and begins to count. I told where everybody should be. I'm on the roof of the Academy.

"Ninety eight, ninety nine, a hundred! We're COMING TO BEAT YA!" yells Takamaru. They scatter off, one for each person. One mistake. They'll regret it later on major.

I made more than a few traps around the area. I throw a kunai to the leader. He rushes closer to my hiding spot.

A trap in a tree by Kiba's catches him as he thrashes in the trap. I smile at him from above.

"First keystone to victory: take out the captain first." I smile. Tatsuro glares at me.

"DAMMIT COWARD!" he roars.

"You're just jelly of my genius!" I smirk. I look up to Kiba.

"Any news from Mr. Binoculars?" I ask. Kiba pulls out his binoculars and checks out how our team's doing.

"You were right about the strategy: it's not even five minutes and most of the other team is taken down. Choiji's inability was useful, he led them right into a trap." he calls out. Tatsuro curses under his breath.

"Looks like I win." I smirk at Tatsuro.

"Dammit." curses Tatsuro.

"HEY! TEAM KIBA-KATSU-SHIKA-CHO-NARU should get over here! We've caught the cap!" I call out, cupping my hands around my face to amplify the sound.

"OKAY!" yells Naruto, rushing onto the scene. Kiba gets out of the tree as Shikamaru and Choiji arrive.

"So, everybody's caught?" I ask.

"Not a sinch." affirms Choiji.

"Man, I'd really like to play shogi with you. You'd be more of a challenge, despite you being a troublesome woman." notes Shikamaru.

"SHADDAP! She ain't troublesome! She's clever!" argues Kiba. I look away, hiding my blush. Never heard people give me compliments…

Somehow I think Shikamaru saw my fiery blush and added to it.

"Yeah, she's smart. She'd be a good challenge. At least she'd play better than my dad plays shogi." he adds. That adds more red to my face.

"Hey, uh Katsumi? Why're you so red?" asks Naruto, oblivious to the situation.

"I-it's nothing." I quietly stutter.

"Can I please get out of the net?!" yells Tatsuro. He's still stuck in the net, moving around as if he can get off easily. I look up to him in the tree, blush fading.

"Well, if you're a ninja, maybe you'd be able to do it on your own. I can think of about three options to get out of your situation. And currently, you're not using even one of them." I smirk. He curses out of frustration.

"Alright, let's bring them all here and go. If I'm late to dinner and my mom gets pissed about it, man, I'll be in serious trouble." groans Shikamaru. I nod, slowly. Naruto's bright face suddenly turns somber.

After we dragged the team out of their traps, Shikamaru's dad, Shikaku came to pick him up. Choiji's parents arrived as well. Kiba and Akamaru left to the Inuzuka compound. However Naruto was still on the lone swing by the Academy, slowly moving back and forth. His facial expression was solemn, sad.

I've heard a very quiet whisper from a person by the Academy about him being the vessel for a monster. And as far as I know, there is only one monster that ever attacked the Leaf: Kyuubi, the Nine Tailed Fox.

I find him like my little brother and I feel like he's my brother. I think I know how to make him happy.

Because I know what an orphan would always want as a child: a family.

I dash into the Hokage office.

After a while of convincing and arguing, I talked the Hokage to walking to Naruto's apartment with me. I knock on the door, my dufflebag close at hand.

Naruto slowly opens the door. His eyes look quite confused.

"Old man, I think you already gave me the money for this months rent." questions Naruto. He's been living on the amount of money the Hokage gives him to pay the rent until he's able to gain his own money via missions.

"No, Naruto. It's on another matter that concerns you and Katsumi, here." says the Hokage. Naruto lets both of us in. He has a huge mess of an apartment. Ramen cups are all over the floor.

"Naruto, as you might already know, the prices on apartments are steadily rising. Katsumi doesn't have enough money for an apartment, so she's willing to become your roommate." says the Hokage, "So, are you alright with Katsumi as your roommate or not?"

Naruto's eyes widen and his jaw falls.

"Y-you mean, y-you'll be living in the same house as me?" he asks.

"As long as you don't go all perverted on me." I affirm. He hugs me in a bear hug. Aw!

"Thanks! Now all we have to do is add Uzumaki to your name and you're my legitimate relative!" he yells and starts ranting on how it's amazing. Yeah, just bow down to my awesomeness.

I can see from the corner of my eye as the Hokage slowly exits from Naruto's apartment. Thank you, old man Hokage.


	5. Chapter 5

I wake up. It's been about three months since I came to Konoha. Kiba, me, Shikamaru, Choiji and Naruto have become Team Awesome. We've never, ever played one single game of ninja and not been on the same team. Some of the guys made a sort of a slang they use to describe us: "Not family, not relatives but they're clumped together forever". I like that kind of slang.

I've been living with Naruto. And trying to cook. Well, my latest cooking was when I exploded one of the frying pans. In the attempt to make egg rolls for lunch (just so Naruto gets something else other than ramen in his stomach).

I roll out of bed and go to the bathroom. I've been living in the same room as Naruto on separate bunks. He's on the top bunk and I'm on the bottom. Less chances to be caught reading Sherlock Holms or Zorro.

I put on a pair of cargo pants. I put on a sports bra and a hooded sweater that I've cut at the shoulders over it. I tie my hair into a fishtail and walk out. Naruto's snoring in the room. God, this guy. But hey, now I can do a prank on him!

I smirk as I set up the prank in the room and the washroom. I trot into the kitchen, feeling bubbly with Naruto's expression later.

(Naruto's Point of View)

I feel myself wake up. My alarm didn't wake me up! I'm going to be late! I rush out of bed and I see the barriers that were for my bed so I don't topple over are gone. I fall out of bed with a _crash_! I get up and look through the drawers. I get my usual orange jumpsuit and hopple into the washroom. I put toothpaste on my toothbrush and begin to brush.

It tastes a little weird. I check the label. It says, in permanent ink:

"Hey. If you put this stuff in your mouth, you'll have an explosion of taste, if you know what I mean. :)"

What the hell did that mean-

Katsumi's POV

_BA-BAM!_

Looks like Naruto ended up using Toothpaste EX. AKA, my created toothpaste with a mini bomb in it. Explodes on contact with saliva.

Naruto's back with a black eye from falling out of bed and a lot of toothpaste covering him and his orange jumpsuit. He looks distraught as I'm sitting perfectly calm, drinking tea. I stifle a snicker.

"Morning, Naruto." I reply, nonchalantly, like I didn't orchestrate that at all.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO THE TOOTHPASTE IN THE WASHROOM?!" he roars. I hope the neighbors didn't hear that or I won't hear the end of it.

"I fixed it." I smirk. His face is red with anger.

"YOU MEAN IT WAS AN 'ACCIDENT' THAT YOU PUT A MINI BOMB IN THE STUPID TOOTHPASTE?!" he yells.

"Yes." I reply. I hope he won't start yelling. He glares at me, but calms down, mischevious smile playing on his face.

"Fine, I'll just have to disband Team Awesome." he smirks. I pale.

"DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE!" I scream. He smirks victorious. Damn, he knows my weaknesses.

"Fine. I'll wash the clothing for you later. I just wanted to have a laugh." I groan. He smiles in victory. God, this stinks. Having a foster little brother is a huge daily chore 24/7.

"Let's go! I wanna put graffiti all over the shops before I go to class!" he yells. I smile. This is why we're called the "Twins but not twins" of Konoha. Total besties! Well, aside from Choiji, Shikamaru and Kiba.

I drag out the cans of paint from my room and run outside, paintbrushes in my hands. Naruto is running behind me

"Wait up!" he yells.

"Come on!" I yell back. We're at the butcher's shop. An old man works there that hates both Naruto and me, because I associate with a demon. And I know why: Naruto's a jinchuuriki for Kyuubi. I can practically feel the beast's presence.

"Time for some art!" I announce. He nods and we pick up a brush each. I dunk it in blue paint and draw waves crashing over a shore on the white walls of the shop. I begin to draw birds when I hear an angry shout:

"Hey! What are ya doing?!"

The butcher dude is back. His black hair makes his face, red from anger, even more noticeable.

"Naruto!" I call out. He's trying to draw stuff on the roof. He nods but continues. Well, I warned him. I dash as fast as I can to the Academy. _Can't be late! Want to talk to Shika and Kiba and Choiji!_

I run into class three minutes before the bell. Shikamaru and Choiji are there, talking to Kiba. Akamaru runs to me and barks, happily. I pick him up, and cuddle with him for a few moments. Kiba walks over to me and gives me a smile:  
"Hey! What's up? Where's Naruto?" he asks.

"Getting chased around the village because he didn't hear me when I told him that I saw witnesses." I reply. He chuckles.

"Nothing I haven't heard before." he smirks. Team Awesome is all team of besties. But I don't know why but I've got the feeling Shika and Kiba are thinking of me in a different way. I don't know which but it feels like it's not a friend they see me as. I hope it's not an enemy.

"Want some chips? You look hungry." offers Choiji. I nod and take some of the BBQ chips. Love these kinds of chips!

"Class! Back to your seats!" yells Iruka-sensei. I see him with a captured and tied up Naruto. Told him to come with me, but noooo he's an idiot who's deaf.

"Naruto! Because you missed class, EVERYBODY WILL HAVE TO REDO THE TRANSFORMATION JUTSU!" yells Iruka. WHYYY? It's annoying and boring as hell!

We walk to the front. The Pinkette gives me a smirk when she finishes her transformation jutsu. She sucks. The amount of chakra is way above what it should be! No chakra control.

"Sasuke Uchiha." Iruka calls out. Sasuke makes a transformation without batting a lash. JERK!

"Katsumi." Iruka yells. I stand in front of the class and make handsigns.

"Transform!" I mutter. I transform into a copy of Iruka. Almost perfectly. My/his hair is just out.

"Alright. Good enough." murmurs Iruka. Hey! I never claimed to be good at this!

I go into my seat and sit beside Shikamaru. From the corner of my eye, Sasuke looks at me in an interested way. HE HAS EMOTIONS! GASP!

Probably thinks I'm weird. Whateves. His problem. I lie down on my desk as Iruka begins explaining some shit that I don't give a flying rubber ducky about. Time to sleep!

I close my eyes and drift off into a dreamless sleep.

I feel someone shake me awake as the bell rings.

"Wha…?" I murmur. Shikamaru looks at me, bored.

"It's recess. Come on. One of the girls said you need to go to the white tree. They've got something to say to you." he explains. Probably some crap about Sasuke and how amazing he is and that I shouldn't get my paws on him because he's theirs. Who exactly he belongs to, I have no clue about. They're freaky. I DON'T HAVE MY PAWS ON HIM! He's the one staring at me and not me at him!

"Alright, Mister. I'm going." I mutter and get out of my seat. The class is deserted. I check the clock. About a minute passed since the bell rang. I walk outside and to the white tree.

The white tree is the large birch in the far corner of the field, overlooking a sign with directions to the Hokage tower. I slowly walk there.

A huge crowd of Sasuke-fangirls are at the tree. Most of them are glaring at me. Whatever. Their problem if I'm too awesome for them.

"Got the message from the Nara?" asks Pinkette. Sakura is her name, right? Don't care. She's a Sasuke-fangirls. They're not humans anymore.

"What the fuck do you want?" I ask.

"To get your paws off Sasuke. He's not yours. He's ours. He doesn't deserve a weird orphan as his girl. He needs the perfect girl. Like one of us. Who has a life outside of playing ninja. Like you." spits the platinum blonde girl rival-of-Pinkette.

"Hey! I at least don't stalk a guy 24/7. Unlike a few girls _I know_." I comment. And this is perfectly true.

"What did you just say?!" roars Pinkette.

"You heard me. You stalk Sasuke 24/7. Get a life." I repeat, proudly. They get into attack formation. Whatever. Go ahead. I've lived long enough to know how to fight.

"You're gonna get it!" roars the rival-of-Pinkette. They rush at me and I fight back. _There's too many!_ Damn. Knew I'd need to read some more about ninjutsu!

They tie me up and begin to punch me. Pinkette hits my jaw. I feel blood rush into my mouth and I spit it at her with all the vigor I could get at her.

She sputters and wipes her face of the spit and blood. She glares at me. I give a victorious smirk. I know I won't be able to knock her down but I won't go down without a fight. That isn't my style.

I feel myself black out.

(Sasuke POV)

I'm on a bench when I see the group of girls from the corner of my eye. They're laughing and joking about something. I hear Ino yell:

"We got her good! She won't be a huge beauty in Sasuke's eyes anymore! Not with that black eye."

My mind quickly registers the identity of the person they're talking about: Katsumi. No doubt. I must admit, I have been interested in that girl for a while now. She hasn't been stalking me and she seems to have her own personality/.

_They got her good?_ I think they've punched her at least once. I dash to the white tree and my eyes widen at the sight. _No way..._

Katsumi is tied to the tree. Blood is dripping out of her mouth and down her chin. She's out of commission. Her eyes have some tear stains. Katsumi!

I dash to Iruka-sensei. He's talking to some other Jounin. I poke him. He's still talking to the Jounin. This is urgent! I push him.

Iruka turns around, surprised. He should stop being surprised and do something! It's your class for crying out loud!

"What's the matter, Sasuke?" he asks. Looks like I can't make a poker face yet. _Hmpf._

"Katsumi's in the field! Unconscious and bleeding!" I yell. I see Shikamaru and Kiba run over to me. They look worried.

"What do you mean 'Katsumi's unconscious and bleeding?!" asks Kiba.

"I meant what I said: Katsumi is injured." I repeat, anger filling my voice. Is he this dimwitted not to understand? Iruka's eyes widen and we run to the field, to the white tree.

I stare at the unconscious Katsumi, unable to look away. This is horrible. _How could they do something like this to her?!_

Iruka quickly cuts the ropes and puts her on his back. He look at the trio of me, Shikamaru and Kiba.

"Go back to class. Study for now. I'll come back after I put her into the hospital and tell the Hokage. Tell that to the rest of class." he orders. I nod and run to the class with Kiba and Shikamaru. I hope you'll be alright, Katsumi…

(Iruka's POV)

I dash to the hospital and see the secretary at the counter. _Poor Katsumi…_ The Hokage told me about her memories. And I saw them myself. She's been through so much. The death of her brother and a fellow child. Both in front of her eyes. And now this!

I dash to the secretary. She looks surprised. Well, she should be: an Academy teacher's at the hospital on a day when you're supposed to be working.

"Get the medics over here! She's wounded." I order. She nods and medical ninja rush to take the unconscious child. They take her away into the operating room. I wonder what happened to her. Who could've done such a thing?

(Kiba's POV)

I'm sitting outside the operating room. Akamaru is whining quietly. Naruto is beside me and on my right is Shikamaru. Sasuke is leaning against the wall like a genius and waiting, looking at the floor.

Why does everything always happen to her? Falling off a cliff, nearly getting beaten up by the fangirls (Sasuke told us everything he knows).

The same old doctor walks out of the operating room. We get up and I ask him:

"Is she alright?" He nods.

"2 ribs broken. Her left arm's broken. Lots of bruises and minor injuries. She'll have to be in the hospital for about 4 weeks before she's totally okay." he explains. _Broken arm and 2 broken ribs?!_ How could they?!

"But nothing permanent. Who is going first? We only allow people to go on 1 at a time for five minutes." he asks us. We look at each other. I want to! But the others want to as well.

"I'll go first." says Sasuke. I give him a glare, but he has his pokerface on as he walks into the room and shuts the door.

(Sasuke's Point of View)

I walk inside and look inside the hospital room. Katsumi looks an awful more weakened. I can see her cast on the bedsheets. Her torso and stomach is covered in bandages. Some of her face is as well. She looks in really bad shape, worse than this morning when she slept through class.

"Earth to Uchiha!" she yells, snapping me out of my reverie. At least she has her old attitude back.

"What happened to you?" I ask her and internally slap myself. Oh of course I know what happened! The stupid girls went and turned her into a punching bag!

"Nothing that you would need to know Uchiha." she replies.

"Why do you constantly call me Uchiha?" I question, changing the topic of conversation.

" 'Cause you're an Uchiha. Duh!" she mutters. I will never understand her here.

"Why did the girls do that to you? They'd throw insults but nothing this extreme." I ask her. She looks away.

"You keep on staring at me all the time so they thought you liked me. So they wanted to scare me into ignoring you. Well, I'm not a coward and I'd rather die than succumb to them!" she explains, proudly. She's strong.

"Even if it means you'll be in the hospital for 4 weeks?" I comment. She pales at that.

"I'M STAYING HERE FOR ANOTHER 4 WEEKS?!" she yells, shocked. I stifle a smile. She manages to be funny at times.

"Yep. Until your 2 broken ribs and arm is fine." I confirm.

"I have two broken ribs?" she questions, surprised. Looks like the doctor said nothing to her.

"Yep. The girls did quite a lot of damage." I comment. She looks away, prideful.

"So what? They didn't scare me, so I'm absolutely fantabulous." she replies, smiling. She's not scared? Even now?

"I'll be able to become the strongest ninja around. Nobody's gonna beat me! So I can't be scared of anything!" she explains. Good point.

"But, can we still be friends? Even if the fangirls will try to kill ya?" I whisper, worried Naruto or any of the others are listening.

She looks at me in surprise, then confusion, then understanding. Is she really considering it?

"Sure." she murmurs, smiling. I smile back and give her a hug.

"Hope you get better, Katsumi. And I'll visit, don't worry." I smile and leave. Naruto walks in after me.

(Katsumi's Point of View)

I don't know what happened to Mr. Uchiha when he asked me that, but okay… He wants to be my friend. Alright. But he better not expect me to let him join Team Awesome that easy!

Naruto walks in, smiling. He gives me a hug. I hug him and he lets me go.

"How're ya doing?!" he asks.

"Good, good. Just 2 broken ribs and an arm." I reply.

"WHAT?! I thought it was just minor injuries!" he yells. I smile.

"But I'll be good in about 4 weeks, no worries." I try to calm him. That only serves him to pale and yell:

"A MONTH?! HOW CAN YOU BE SO CALM?! ONE MONTH OF NO ICHIRAKU OR PLAYING NINJA!" he yells.

"If you need a strategy mastermind, you can have Shikamaru temporarily work as captain. No issues here. And as for Ichiraku…. CAN HE GIVE ME SOME TAKE OUT PWEEZE?" I explain. I begin to anime cry about the lack of Ichiraku ramen. WHY IS THE WORLD SO EVIL?! NO RAMEN!

"Time's up young man." says the doctor. Damn you! Naruto leaves.

Shikamaru walk into the room.

He gives me a hug as he walks in. I hug him back. I don't know what I feel about him. In a way, I like him like a second brother. But something in me feels that he's… something more. I've got no clue what, but still.

"How are you feeling, Katsumi?" he asks.

"It's a huge drag, but I have to stay here for 4 weeks." I reply, "To heal my left arm and my two broken ribs."

"Man, you're a troublesome woman: Takamaru wants to have a ninja match against team Awesome. What are we gonna do?" he asks me.

"Oh, I nominate you as deputy. So you're leading Naruto, Kiba and Choiji. No problems here. If we have any news about any new games or matches or new people to join, tell me about it, got it?" I order. He nods.

"Fine, troublesome woman." he sighs.

"Good, troublesome Nara." I retort, jokingly. He smiles at me lazily.

"Gotta go. My troublesome mom's gonna kill me if I don't come to dinner on time. But I promise I'll visit." he murmurs. I nod. He leaves.

Kiba walks into the room. Akamaru jumps onto my lap. I pet him with my good arm and he barks, cheerily. I give a small laugh, even though my chest racks with pain from the effort.

(Kiba Point of View)

"Hey Kiba! Hey Akamaru." she smiles. My heart stops. She's so pretty, even though she's been hurt bad by other girls. I'm sure she's in pain but she doesn't show it. She's the toughest girl I've ever met.

"How're you feeling?" I ask her.

"Oh, nothing much. Just some ribs and an arm broken. Staying in the hospital for a month." she replies, nonchalantly. I pale and examine her left arm.

"You mean you won't be coming to the Academy for a month?!" I yell. She nods, sad smile playing on her face.

"Well, I guess Shikamaru would be the strategist of the team. Kiba, could you please try to control Naruto, because he can be an idiot and do exactly what he's not supposed to do on impulse? Please?" she asks me. I nod.

"No problem here, Katsumi." I smile. She nods. I hear a gentle knock. It's almost the end of the session.

"Hey, could you visit me sometimes? I'll be a little bored on my own in a hospital." she asks. I nod and Akamaru gets off her lap. Akamaru barks at Katsumi and we walk out the door.

(Katsumi Point of View)

I swear, since this injury, three guys are acting more than a little weird. I mean, Kiba is suddenly so worried. Then there's Shikamaru who wasn't lazy to _promise_ me to visit me in a hospital when he could be cloud gazing at the really good spots. And even more surprising, _Sasuke_ was being kind and slightly energetic. An emo was being E.N.E.R.G.E.T.I.C. for five minutes!

Something is going on with those guys and I'm not sure I like it.

**Hello readers! Ahem, so I have a choice for you people. The next chapter could be extremely cute, with when Katsumi begins to heal at home. Or we can go straight to the Final Exam chapter. Please review with your answer**


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